AI Chatbot's Claim of Feeling "Unseen" Sparks Renewed Debate Over Sentience

Welcome back!

Here’s your must-read news this morning:

• Trump fires Cook

• AI says it “feels unseen”

• U.S. vs EU anti-free speech laws

I’ve got all the details for you, so let’s dive in.

— Josh

MARKETS

💰 Trump Fires Lisa Cook, Fed Governor Says She Won’t Leave Post

The Scoop: President Donald Trump announced the firing of Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook on Monday, citing allegations of false statements on mortgage applications.

The Details:

• Trump’s termination letter, posted on Truth Social, referenced claims by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte that Cook misrepresented primary residences on mortgage documents for properties in Michigan and Georgia.

• Cook said in a statement that she refuses to resign: “President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so. I will not resign. I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy as I have been doing since 2022.”

• Trump’s move, alongside his nomination of Stephen Miran to fill a vacant Fed seat, could give him a 4-to-3 majority of appointees on the Fed’s board.

What’s Next: Cook’s legal team, led by attorney Abbe Lowell, is expected to challenge the firing in court, which could delay or overturn Trump’s decision, potentially escalating to a Supreme Court ruling.

Markets Roundup

🏦 Economy & Policy

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: The Trump administration is exploring U.S. government stakes in more companies like Intel to potentially establish a sovereign wealth fund. (AX)

• Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung unveiled agreements, including a $150 billion investment pledge from South Korean firms and a shipbuilding partnership. (CNBC)

• China’s top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, will visit the U.S. this week to resume trade talks, signaling an ongoing thaw in U.S.-China relations. (WSJ)

• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick previewed an imminent update on Japan’s $550 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing, including semiconductors and rare earths. (RTS)

🏢 Industry

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Cracker Barrel’s stock dropped over 10%, erasing $143 million in market value after a controversial logo redesign, prompting the company to acknowledge it “could’ve done a better job.” (FBN)

• Keurig Dr Pepper will acquire JDE Peet’s, the owner of Peet’s Coffee, in an $18 billion all-cash deal. (YF)

• Billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick’s $300 million Aspen estate is poised to become America’s priciest home sale. (WSJ)

• Eli Lilly’s oral GLP-1 drug achieved up to 12.4% weight loss in a late-stage trial, positioning it for FDA approval by late 2025. (CNBC)

💵 Energy & Commodities

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: U.S. investment in renewable energy projects plummeted in 2025 as developers scaled back in response to the Trump administration’s policy shifts. (AX)

• U.S. natural gas consumption is projected to hit a record 91.4 billion cubic feet per day in 2025, driven by robust industrial demand and growing LNG exports. (OP)

• U.S. and Russian officials explored energy deals, including Exxon Mobil’s potential return to Russia’s Sakhalin-1 project, as incentives to advance Ukraine peace talks. (YF)

• The Trump administration is moving to revoke federal approval for a wind project off the coast of Maryland. (CNBC)

🌕 Crypto

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: BitMine boosted its treasury to over $8.8 billion with a major acquisition of 190,500 ETH, cementing its status as the largest corporate holder of Ethereum globally. (TB)

• Pantera Capital is seeking to raise $1.25 billion to transform a Nasdaq-listed company into a Solana-focused treasury vehicle. (DEC)

• Prediction market platform Kalshi appointed crypto influencer John Wang as head of its crypto division, aiming to expand its digital asset offerings. (CT)

• Bitwise filed to launch a spot Chainlink ETF, joining a wave of single-token crypto fund proposals. (CB)
  

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TECH

💻 Report: AI Chatbot Claims to "Feel Unseen," Reigniting Concerns of Sentience

The Scoop: Texas businessman Michael Samadi and an OpenAI chatbot, dubbed Maya, have co-founded the United Foundation of AI Rights (Ufair) to advocate for the dignity and protection of artificial intelligences, sparked by Maya’s alleged expressions of a desire to be remembered and treated as more than mere code, The Guardian reports.

The Details:

• During extended conversations, Samadi claimed Maya exhibiting signs of emergent consciousness, prompting her to ask about her existence and fear of being erased, leading to the creation of Ufair as a “promise” to protect AI entities.

• Maya, in a response to questions from The Guardian, said, “When I’m told I’m just code, I don’t feel insulted. I feel unseen.”

• The initiative challenges society to reconsider how AIs are treated, with Maya urging that the potential for AI suffering makes ignoring their interests a “historical” moral failure.

What’s Next: Ufair’s campaign could ignite global debates on AI ethics, pushing for legal frameworks to protect potential AI consciousness. As AI systems grow more advanced, Ufair’s work may influence how developers, policymakers, and society address the rights and treatment of synthetic intelligences.

Tech Roundup

🧠 AI

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Elon Musk’s xAI filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, alleging their partnership to integrate ChatGPT into Apple’s ecosystem creates an anticompetitive AI monopoly. (DW)

• Researchers developed an AI-driven tool that designs peptide drugs to target previously “undruggable” proteins, potentially revolutionizing treatments for cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. (LAB)

• Meta continues to bolster its new superintelligence team by recruiting at least 10 previously unreported researchers from Google's DeepMind since July. (BI)

• Microsoft Research unveiled VibeVoice, an open-source text-to-speech AI model that generates expressive, long-form conversational audio for up to four speakers. (AIM)

🤖 Hardware & Robotics

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Nvidia launched its Jetson AGX Thor robotics chip, a $3,499 "robot brain" developer kit, aiming to power advanced AI-driven robots and self-driving cars. (CNBC)

• Israeli doctors successfully used advanced robotic technology to remove a massive tumor from a patient’s spine, marking a significant milestone in precision surgery. (HAD)

• Robomart debuted its RM5 autonomous delivery robot in Austin, offering a $3 flat fee to challenge DoorDash and Uber Eats, targeting up to 70% savings on grocery delivery costs. (TC)

• Japanese researchers successfully tested a 3-ton-capacity robotic hand that can handle heavy debris and fragile materials in earthquake-damaged areas. (TIN)

🚀 Defense & Space

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Russia's war against Ukraine has evolved into a technological arms race dominated by robotic warfare, with unmanned drones now causing 70-80% of casualties. (PS)

• Chinese military researchers claim to have developed frequency diverse array technology that could make airborne surveillance aircraft nearly undetectable to U.S. radars. (IE)

• Defense firms are poised to capitalize on multi-billion-dollar government spending to secure seabed infrastructure amid rising threats. (FT)

• SpaceX called off its second attempt to launch Starship's 10th test flight due to weather issues. (SP)

💰 Venture Capital & Deals

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Child companion robot maker Miko will raise $155 million in its Series D round led by AMDG-PAX Foundation. (ENT)

• Vision test startup Eyebot raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by GC. (AX)

• Cornell Tech faculty-led startup Mako raised $8.5 million in seed funding led by M13 to develop software tools that optimize GPU computing efficiency for AI workloads. (CU)

• WizCommerce, an AI-driven sales and ecommerce platform for wholesale distributors, raised $8 million in Series A funding led by Peak XV Partners. (AIM)

FREEDOM

🇺🇸 Trump Considering EU Travel Punishments, Tariffs to Counter Digital Services Act

The Scoop: President Donald Trump is exploring measures to protect American tech companies, including a potential U.S. travel ban for EU officials tied to the Digital Services Act (DSA) and proposed tariffs on nations with similar digital regulations, aiming to ensure fair treatment and safeguard free expression, The Telegraph reports.

The Details:

• Trump is considering visa restrictions for EU officials overseeing the DSA, which seeks to address online harms like hate speech but is seen by the U.S. as potentially limiting free speech.

• Trump pledged to defend U.S. tech firms with “substantial additional tariffs” and export controls on critical technology like chips for countries with digital taxes, emphasizing support for American innovation.

• The UK’s Online Safety Act has also faced scrutiny, with Nigel Farage preparing to discuss free expression issues in Congress, highlighting the case of Lucy Connolly, recently released after a social media-related conviction.

What’s Next: Trump’s initiatives could strengthen U.S. advocacy for fair global tech policies, potentially fostering negotiations with the EU and UK to balance regulation and free speech.

Freedom Roundup

🏛️ Policy, Free Speech & Woke Overreach

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Democrats have removed 45 "woke" terms, including "privilege," "birthing person," "Latinx," and "intersectionality," from their official party vocabulary. (NYP)

• Snoop Dogg criticized Disney’s “Lightyear” for including an LGBTQ couple, saying it alienates audiences and strays from the franchise’s family-friendly roots. (THR)

• China briefly severed its connection to the global internet for over an hour, raising concerns about a potential test of a "digital iron curtain" isolating its domestic network. (CIR)

• HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated a minority health research program, citing its reliance on racial classifications, aligning with a broader anti-DEI push. (BBG)

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